Ni Charina Clarisse L. Echaluce at Mary Ann Santiago

Lima pang kaso ng pagkamatay ng mga bata, na pawang naturukan ng Dengvaxia, ang naitala ng Department of Health (DoH), dahilan upang umabot na sa 26 ang kabuuang bilang ng mga ito.

“As of January 24, 2018, from the total of 837, we have admitted cases of 725 and out of that, we have death of 26.

From March 2016 to January 19, the reported deaths were 21. But since last week until this week, we have another five deaths. So a total of 26… from March 2016 to January 24, 2018,” pagkumpirma kahapon ni Health Assistant Secretary Maria Francia Laxamana sa isang press conference.

72 PDL's ng Manila City Jail, naka-enrol sa PUP Open University

72 PDL's ng Manila City Jail, naka-enrol sa PUP Open University

Samantala, nilinaw ni Health Secretary Francisco Duque III na may naitala nang pagkamatay sa dengue bago pa man nabakunahan ang mga bata.

“The 725, these are the AEFI, these are the Adverse Effects Following Immunization. The way to contextualize this, even without Dengvaxia, there is a case fatality ratio. May namamatay talaga dahil sa dengue. You wanna do a comparison, makikita ninyo the case fatality ratio is still below one percent,” ani Duque.

Bukod diyan, sinabi ni Laxamana na hindi lahat ng 725 kaso ay dengue.

“Mayro’n kaming confirmatory. Sa 725, ang na-confirm lang is 412 cases. So iyong iba roon hindi talaga maa-attribute sa dengue kasi nag-negative sila sa test,” sabi niya.

Inaalam na ng Health authorities ang sanhi ng pagkamatay ng mga batang nabakunahan ng Dengvaxia.

‘UNFINISHED DENGVAXIA TRIAL’

Samantala, sinabi ni Duque na hindi pa tapos ang Phase 3 clinical trial period sa Dengvaxia nang simulan ang mass dengue vaccination program sa 830,000 bata.

“Iyong clinical trial nagsimula po sometime June of 2011. That’s supposed to be a six-year study for the Phase 3 clinical trial period. That’s six years or 72 months,” sabi niya.

“They started giving the Dengvaxia as early 2016, March. The findings on the severe dengue came out after they concluded the Phase 3 in September of 2017. So if they had waited 2017, then they would have known they can’t give these Dengvaxia to children who never had dengue in the past, because that is exactly what the advisory of Sanofi says,” diin ni Duque.

CRINICAL TRIAL IPINASUSUMITE

Kinukumpleto na ngayon ng DoH ang mga dokumento sa clinical trial ng Dengvaxia, base sa kautusan ng Office of the Ombudsman.

“Kinukumpleto namin ang mga dokumento kasi mayroong utos ang Ombudsman na isumite lahat ng mga dokumentong ito,” sinabi ni Duque sa panayam sa radyo.